Dynamic audio file and method of use

ABSTRACT

A method of creating a dynamic audio file may comprise associating a tag with an audio file having audio content and the tag may comprise a location file path of a source of the audio content. A method of updating a dynamic audio file may comprise sending a dynamic audio file, receiving a request for updated audio content, and sending the updated audio content in response to the request. In various embodiments, the dynamic audio file may comprise a tag and initial audio content and the tag may comprise a location file path of the audio content.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.61/013,825 filed Dec. 14, 2007, the disclosure of which is incorporatedherein by reference.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

This application contains material that is subject to copyrightprotection. Such material may be reproduced by any person exactly as itappears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records. Thecopyright owner otherwise reserves all rights to such material.

BACKGROUND

From a media user's point of view, media files are “static.” In otherwords, the content of a media file does not change. In the context of amedia playlist of country and western music, for example, a media fileof George Strait's “Ace in the Hole” contains only that song when playedon a media player. A user cannot update the content of that file withnew content and still keep that file's place in the playlist. To add newcontent, a user must create a new file or playlist entry for thatcontent. Thus, there exists a need for a system and method for updatingmedia content within a playlist.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, a method of creating a dynamic audio file may compriseassociating a tag with an audio file having audio content and the tagmay comprise a location file path of a source of the audio content. Amethod of updating a dynamic audio file may comprise sending a dynamicaudio file, receiving a request for updated audio content, and sendingthe updated audio content in response to the request. In variousembodiments, the dynamic audio file may comprise a tag and initial audiocontent and the tag may comprise a location file path of the audiocontent.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a system that may be used fortransferring and using dynamic audio files.

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of a playlist incorporating dynamicaudio files.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a method for using a dynamic audio file inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method for updating the audio content of adynamic audio file in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of a user interface that may beprovided in connection with updater software.

FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment of a user interface that may beprovided in connection with updater software showing the details of adynamic audio file.

FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment of a user interface that may beprovided in connection with updater software showing the details of theupdater software.

FIG. 8 illustrates an embodiment of a user interface that may beprovided in connection with updater software showing options for mediaplayer integration.

FIG. 9 illustrates an embodiment of a user interface that may beprovided in connection with updater software showing settings that maybe selected by a user.

FIG. 10 illustrates an embodiment of a user interface that may beprovided in connection with updater software showing information aboutdynamic audio files and updater software.

FIG. 11 illustrates an embodiment of a user interface that may beprovided in connection with assembly software.

Table 1 is a listing of metadata attributes associated with anembodiment of a dynamic audio file.

Table 2 demonstrates how metadata attributes map to ID3v2 frames in anembodiment of a dynamic audio file.

Table 3 provides a listing of attributes of an embodiment of an assemblyXML file that may be used to create a dynamic audio file.

Table 4 is an implementation matrix for a graphical user interface inconnection with an embodiment of assembly software.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a system and method for updatingmedia content. In this embodiment, a radio broadcaster may manage aplurality of radio stations, and may accordingly host web sites for oneor more radio stations at a server 1. Those skilled in the art willrecognize that each radio station may be assigned its own server. A usermay communicate with server 1 from, for example, a computer 3 through anetwork 2, such as the Internet. Alternatively, a user may communicatewith a server 1 from, for example, a mobile media device 4 or PDA 5.Those having skill in the art will recognize that a user may communicatewith the server 1 using any suitable device, such as a cellular phone, ahand-held computer, an iPod, Sony Walkman, Creative Zen media player orother portable media player, or any other general purpose computer, PC,microprocessor, computer server, digital signal processor, mobile phone,or a combination thereof. In one disclosed embodiment, the user maycommunicate with a computer 3.

The user may have stored a library of media files on her computer 3 in aformat suitable for playback on a media player. In this embodiment, themedia player may be an application installed on the computer 3. Forexample, the user may have stored a library of songs in MP3 format forplayback on a Windows Media Player application installed on the computer3. Those skilled in the art will recognize that various other mediaplayers may be supported, such as iTunes, RealPlayer, WinAmp and thelike, and that the media players may be web-based or otherwise providedto the user for playback of locally-stored content, or a mix oflocally-stored and remotely-provided content, or remotely providedcontent. The user may have further arranged some of those media filesinto a playlist. In one embodiment, the media files may comprise songsarranged so as to provide a particular listening experience. Thoseskilled in the art will also recognize that a user may maintain alibrary of media files on a computer, and manage that library using asuitable media player application which also allows media filemanagement, such as Apple's iTunes software. Those skilled in the artwill further recognize that a user may use that media management/mediaplayer application to create a playlist that may be played using themedia management/media player application, or transferred to mobilemedia player, such as Apple's iPod media player, for playback. Thoseskilled in the art will recognize that the updater software disclosedherein may be provided as part of a media management or media playerapplication, or may incorporate features of media management and mediaplayer applications.

The user may desire listen to more than an unbroken series of songs orsimilar audio elements. Thus, a dynamic audio file may be included inthe user's playlist to allow the user to listen to perishable, orrelatively time-sensitive, content or other types of content. Examplesof perishable content include daily news, sports scores, DJ chatter,traffic reports, emergency information, public service announcements(PSAs), talk show programs, personal messages and weather reports. Adynamic audio file may also be included in the user's playlist toprovide new songs, e.g., updatable incorporation of Top-10 songs intothe playlist, or other content, such as advertisements and stationjingles. By including one or more dynamic audio files, a playlist mayprovide, for example, a more radio-like listening experience.Accordingly, the user may download from server 1 a dynamic audio file,and include the dynamic audio file in the playlist. The user may alsodownload updater software provided to allow the user to set dynamicaudio file preferences. Those having skill in the art will recognizethat the user may obtain a dynamic audio file and updater software inother ways, such as on CD or by RSS feed.

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of a playlist 6 that includes twodynamic audio files 23 and 28. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the playlist6 includes ten media files that the user has selected to create aparticular listening experience. Songs occupy playlist 6 slots 21, 22,24, 25, 26, 27, 29 and 30, and dynamic audio files occupy slots 23 and28. Those having skill in the art will recognize that the time durationof each slot may vary depending on the media file occupying each slot.However, the overall playlist may have been arranged to provide alistening experience of a certain length of time. Accordingly, asdiscussed in more detail herein, content provided by the dynamic audiofile, as may be updated from time to time, may be adjusted tosubstantially maintain that length of time.

In this embodiment, the user has elected to include in the listeningexperience a news report from radio station WOAI in San Antonio, Tex.The user may thus download a dynamic audio file from the WOAI radiostation server, and include it at two locations in her playlist 6. Asmay be seen in the playlist 6 of FIG. 2, the user has chosen to listento the WOAI news report at slot 23 between songs in slots 22 and 24, andat slot 28 between songs in slots 27 and 29. By including a dynamicaudio file at slots 23 and 28 of the playlist 6, the user may receivethe most up-to-date news from WOAI when those dynamic audio files areplayed, whenever that may be, and may receive the updated news withouthaving to re-construct the playlist 6 to include updated content. Thoseskilled in the art will recognize that the dynamic audio files in slots23 and 28 may provide sports scores, weather updates, traffic reports,and other perishable content, as well as fresh songs, or some mix ofthose elements. Furthermore, the dynamic audio file in slot 23 mayprovide different content than the dynamic audio file in slot 28. Forexample, the dynamic audio file in slot 23 may provide news, and thedynamic audio file in slot 28 may provide updated news, or sports, or anadvertisement. Those skilled in the art will further recognize that aplaylist may contain one or more dynamic audio files, and may becomprised entirely of dynamic audio files. A dynamic audio file maytherefore allow a user's media library or playlist content to beautomatically updated without the need for a user to download newcontent and add the new content to the media player's library orplaylist.

The audio content associated with a dynamic audio file may be replacedwith updated audio content. As such, a radio broadcaster may distributeupdated audio content which will be associated with one or more dynamicaudio files that already reside on a user's computer. A dynamic audiofile may serve as a content placeholder so that when updated content isdistributed, the location of the updated content in the playlist will bethe same as the location of the replaced content. In other words, asingle library or playlist element reference may be provided for eachdynamic audio file and all subsequent updates to each file.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that dynamic audio files may beof any suitable format, such as .acc, .wmp, .wma, .wav, .ogg, .ra, .m4a,and .mp3, to name a few examples. Those skilled in the art will alsorecognize that a dynamic audio file may have “default” or initialcontent. For example, a user may download a dynamic audio file thatalready includes the latest news reports from a particular radio stationand is further configured to include updated news reports when thoseupdates are accessed. Those skilled in the art will recognize that auser may, after downloading, change her preferences with respect to thatdynamic audio file.

A dynamic audio file may be moved, played, or otherwise manipulated in amanner similar to known audio files, in addition to other capabilitiesdescribed herein. From a user's perspective, a dynamic audio file maynot appear to be any different from a traditional audio file. Forexample, a dynamic audio file may be named “WOAI News” file while theartist name may be provided as “WOAI.” A user may browse through theirmedia library using their media player's available searching tools tofind the “WOAI News” file and play the audio content in the “WOAI News”file on demand or put the “WOAI News” file in a playlist with otheraudio files. As described above, a user may, for example, play the same“WOAI News” dynamic audio file incorporated into her playlist again andagain, yet hear more current content within that playlist 6 as madeavailable for updating. A user may also play dynamic audio files in astatic mode, i.e., when the user's computer is not connected to anetwork or otherwise able to communicate with the content source. Insuch a circumstance, the dynamic audio file may contain themost-recently updated content. Thus, the exemplary “WOAI News” dynamicaudio file retains its place in the user's media player library andplaylist while providing updated content.

A media provider may thus make dynamic audio files and updater softwareavailable to users for downloading or other transfer. The updatersoftware may be used by a user to automatically retrieve updated audiocontent from the broadcaster's website and replace the previous contentwith the updated content. Updated audio content may thus beautomatically associated with the dynamic audio file. Updater softwaremay comprise executable instructions installed on a user's computer (orother media device) to allow the user's computer to download new audiofiles from the broadcaster's computer. Updater software may give thebroadcaster the ability to automatically update dynamic audio files anddistribute audio content without the user having to affirmativelyrequest such an update. Also, a dynamic audio file may contain updateinstructions that may be extracted by the updater software and stored atthe user's computer. Updater software may periodically connect to thebroadcaster's server to check for and receive updated audio content withwhich to replace audio content already associated with the user'sdynamic audio files.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary method for using a dynamic audio file.In this example, a dynamic audio file may be provided to a user'scomputer over a network, such as the Internet, by, for example, directdownload or by an RSS feed, as indicated at 10. A dynamic audio file maybe added to the user's media library as a static library asset, asindicated at 12. The location path of the dynamic audio file in theuser's computer may further be registered with the updater softwareand/or at the broadcaster's server, as indicated at 13. In variousembodiments, a manual pathing process may also be provided to allow auser to move a dynamic audio file to another location. Thereafter, thedynamic audio file may be played. The dynamic audio may be programmed todetermine whether the user's computer has updater software installed andrunning the first time that the dynamic audio file is played asindicated at 14. Alternatively, the server may determine whether theuser's computer has updater software installed and running. If updatersoftware is not running or is not installed, a preamble at the beginningof the audio content in the dynamic audio file may be played to educatea user about dynamic audio files and prompt a user to download updatersoftware, as indicated at 20. For example, a preamble may provide anaudible statement: “You have downloaded a dynamic audio file having newscontent. Please download the updater software to receive updates.” Ifupdater software is installed and running, the preamble may be strippedfrom the audio content in the dynamic audio file, as indicated at 16.Alternatively, a version of the audio content without the preamble maybe downloaded and may replace the audio content that had the preamble,as also indicated at 16. In yet another embodiment, a preamble may beplayed regardless of whether updater software is running and thepreamble may provide other useful information that the broadcasterwishes to distribute. Once the dynamic audio file has been downloaded,the audio content of a dynamic audio file may then be played on avariety of media players, as indicated at 18. As noted above, if auser's computer is a desktop computer, a user may transfer the dynamicaudio file to another media player, such as an iPod, MP3 player, or PDA.When a media playback device is connected to a network such that themedia playback device may communicate with the appropriate server, thedynamic audio file may be updated.

In some embodiments, updater software may manage and control the updateprocess without requiring any user interaction. As previously discussed,updater software may be downloaded onto a user's computer.Alternatively, updater software may reside on a broadcaster's computerand perform the audio content updating from the broadcaster's computer.The updater software may also interact with the user's computer toperform the update process described herein. Of course, updating audiocontent may also be initiated automatically when a user plays back,moves, changes settings for, or otherwise manipulates a dynamic audiofile.

Referring to FIG. 4, an exemplary method of updating the audio contentof a dynamic audio file may include extracting update information from adynamic audio file when the dynamic audio file is first downloaded ontoa user's computer, as indicated at 30. Accordingly, incoming dynamicaudio files may be automatically registered with updater software duringdownloading so the user does not have to specify to the updater softwarea location for updates. Alternatively, updater software may retrievelocation and update information from a dynamic audio file after the fileis downloaded. Update information distributed with dynamic audio filesmay include a link (or links) to a content source (or sources) providingthe updates. Such content source links ensure proper replacement ofprevious content with updated content. A plurality of content sourcelinks may be provided, including but not limited to a primary sourcelink specifying the default location of updated content, an alternativesource link for when the primary source link is not available, and aredirection source link. A redirection source link may, for example, beutilized in emergency situations, such that a broadcaster mayautomatically distribute audio content having emergency instructions,for instance informing users to seek cover due to bad weatherconditions. Update information extracted by updater software may alsoinclude positive time metadata for scheduling updates and fail-overlinking. In various embodiments, usage keys and digital signaturesystems may be incorporated in the update information in order to guardagainst misuse of the updater software by unauthorized third parties.

Referring still to the exemplary method of FIG. 4, an update schedulemay be built for a particular dynamic audio file from updateinstructions extracted from the dynamic audio file, as indicated at 32.In some embodiments, updates may be initiated by updater softwareaccording to the update schedule, as indicated at 34. The updatersoftware may determine if the user's computer is connected to a network,as indicated at 36. If a user's computer is connected to a network,updated audio content may be downloaded over the network from a contentserver using one of the content source links, as indicated at 38. If auser's computer is not connected to a network, a user may be alerted ofmissed updates as indicated at 48. If a network connection is notpresent, the updater software may make one or more later attempts toupdate and check again for a connection. If a network connection ispresent, updated audio content may then be downloaded, as indicated at38.

Once updated content has been downloaded, the updater software maydetermine whether the dynamic audio file to be updated is in use orlocked, as indicated at 40. If not, the updater software may replace theprevious content in a dynamic audio file with updated content byassociating updated content with the dynamic audio file, as indicated at42. That may be accomplished, for example, by deleting the old audiocontent, renaming the updated audio content with the name of the oldaudio content, and placing the renamed updated audio content in thelocation file path of the old audio content. If the dynamic audio fileto be updated is in use or if there is a file lock on the file when anupdate is downloaded, the updated content may be held in local memory(or, in other embodiments, discarded and downloaded again later) andprevious content in a dynamic audio file may continue to play or beused, as indicated at 50. When the previous content is no longer in use,or the file lock is relinquished, updated content may replace previouscontent and be associated with the dynamic audio file, as indicated at42. As indicated at 44, programming hooks in the updater software mayalert a media player and library management system of updated contentsuch that identifying information of the updated content may beincorporated. For instance, if the updated content has a differentduration or title than the previous content, the new duration or titlemay be noted accordingly by the media player and library managementapplication as a result of such programming hooks. In other embodiments,programming hooks may not be necessary if the user's media player orlibrary management system automatically detect updates to content. Asshown at 46, after previous content is updated, the updated content maybe played upon the next playback of the respective audio file.

In various embodiments, updates to the audio content of a dynamic audiofile may be determined by various settings, specified either by a useror by a radio broadcaster. For example and not by way of limitation, insome embodiments a user may provide settings as to various types ofmusic, news, or radio talk shows that the user would prefer to bedownloaded. These settings may be part of a playlist processing moduleprovided as part of the updater software. Alternatively, playlistprocessing as described herein may be provided separate from the updatersoftware. A playlist processing module may process an offline playlistfor timing analysis and content insertion, or analyze an online playlistand add audio content as needed based on user settings. A playlist maycomprise a time-based or other arrangement of audio content, such as alisting of songs to be played in a specified order. For example, a usermay specify that music should be updated every week, news should beupdated every day, and radio talk should be updated every hour.Alternatively, a user may request that a certain percentage of varioustypes of music be played each hour, such as 50% Jazz and 50% Rock. Inthis example, 50% of the dynamic audio files downloaded may be “JAZZ”dynamic audio files, and the other 50% may be “ROCK” dynamic audiofiles. The playlist processing module may analyze the playlist andrequest updates to fulfill these settings. In addition, a user maycreate a playlist having static audio files and specify that news beplayed on a certain time interval, for instance every 60 minutes duringthe time that the playlist having traditional audio files is beingplayed. When the user is playing the playlist, the playlist processingmodule may analyze the playlist and estimate where to insert and updatedynamic audio files, e.g., those having news content.

The playlist processing module may analyze the playlist in real-time andobtain updated perishable content, e.g., news, based on the time thatpassed since perishable content was last played. A user may elect toreceive audio content from a plurality of different content sources,e.g., radio stations. For instance, if a user prefers the music fromstation A, the news from station B, and the traffic report from stationC, a user may download one or more dynamic audio files having musiccontent from station A, one or more dynamic audio files having newscontent from station B, and one or more dynamic audio files havingtraffic report content from station C. A user may then set how oftenmusic, news, and traffic reports should be updated, or how often thosefiles should be should be played during a particular playlist. If eachdynamic audio file has a different content source link, content may beupdated from each of the three radio stations, A, B, and C, for the typeof content selected by the user. Those skilled in the art will recognizethat one or more servers may provide content for radio stations A, B andC. Alternatively, updater software may provide the ability for a user toupdate content on demand. A user may manually request an update, forinstance if a user is following a particular breaking news story andwishes to manually control the timing of updates.

A radio broadcaster may also have control over the timing and manner ofupdates to dynamic audio files. For instance, a radio broadcaster maycreate and provide for downloading on their website a dynamic audio filefor “Breaking Music” where the song may be changed every week, day, houror minute. This embodiment may allow a radio broadcaster to generate andmaintain listener interest because the listener has the ability torequest that the newest music be distributed to them. Alternatively, aradio broadcaster may provide a series of dynamic audio files which,when downloaded, are automatically assembled into a playlist 6 thatpresents a musical sequence such as “Today's Top 10 Songs.” Each day,the content of the dynamic audio files may be automatically replacedwith that day's top ten songs. In addition, a radio broadcaster maydistribute “Test Music” dynamic audio files in order to distribute testmusic to listeners to gauge their reactions and preferences. In anotherembodiment, a radio broadcaster may distribute advertisements based onuser registration information that may be gathered by updater software.For instance, a user may be asked to enter a residence address, andother user information, before downloading the updater software orbefore receiving dynamic audio files. “Advertisement” dynamic audiofiles may be distributed and the redirection content source links may beutilized by the radio broadcaster to direct updates to the“advertisement” dynamic audio file based on user information, such asredirecting audio content to provide advertisements particular to thegeographic area where the user resides. Of course, other informationabout the user may be used to determine where to retrieve updatedcontent such as advertisements. In yet another embodiment, a radiobroadcaster may distribute a plurality of dynamic audio files that maybe used each day to distribute an entire radio broadcast for that day orfor a day part. A radio broadcaster may update the audio content in aplurality of dynamic audio files several times throughout the day tocreate and distribute a traditional radio broadcast over a network.Those skilled in the art will recognize that “push” or “pull” technologycould be used to effect those embodiments.

In various embodiments, the dynamic audio file format may contain anumber of attributes. Of course, the following description is forexemplary purposes only and a dynamic audio file may have a variety ofattributes. Metadata attributes may be associated with a dynamic audiofile that may be retrieved through use of an audio watermark. Such anaudio watermark may make the actual audio content format arbitrary.

In one embodiment, metadata attributes may be stored in an ID3 version 2(“ID3v2”) file tag or header made part of an MP3 audio file. In thisembodiment, an ID3v2 tag may be 256 MB in size, and contain a number of16 MB frames. Those skilled in the art will recognize that ID3 tags maybe of variable size, and contain a variety of frames. The ID3v2 tag isdescribed here by way of example. An ID3v2 tag may also include withoutlimitation text and encryption, as well as linked information andweblinks. Thus, the dynamic audio file may be, in this embodiment, anID3v2-tagged mp3 file that is instantiated as described herein. A deviceor media player that does not have the updater software installed mayrecognize this embodiment of a dynamic audio file as an mp3 file thathas some proprietary ID3v2 tags in a vendor-specific or private frame,and the ID3v2 tag will not prevent such recognition. Of course, dynamicaudio files may be provided in other formats, such as those mentionedabove, with the tags or headers pertaining to those formats.

Table 1 shows exemplary metadata attributes that may be associated withan mp3 file in an ID3v2 compliant mp3 header to create a dynamic audiofile. Table 1 describes each attribute and how the attribute may beused. In Table 1, an attribute with “yes” in the “Preferred” columnindicates that the attribute may be preferred for implementation of anembodiment of the updater software. In this embodiment, the optionalattributes, indicated with a “No” in the “Preferred” column may beoptional in the ID3v2 public standard, so the updater software may notconsider their absence a failure condition. In some embodiments, eachpreferred attribute in Table 1 may be placed into a private frame valuefor robustness. In other embodiments, however, less than all of thoseattributes, or other suitable attributes may be used to create a dynamicaudio file. For example, a dynamic audio file preamble havinginformation about dynamic audio files may be skipped by using the“ContentStartTime” attribute so that the audio content immediately playswhen the dynamic audio file is played. Various software applications mayread from the attributes.

In some embodiments, various attributes that are shown in Table 2 mayalso be placed in other standard, non-overloaded ID3v2 fields, totrigger complementary behavior of media players in this embodiment thatsupport the ID3v2 header standard. In Table 2, an “n/a” in the “ID3v2Frame” column indicates that the attribute may not be relevant to theembodiment of Table 2. Such behavior may include, for example,graphically depicting the source of the audio content of the dynamicaudio file, which may be desirable in other embodiments. Table 2describes how various attributes listed in Table 1 may map to ID3v2frame values. The updater software may examine the ID3v2 frames todetermine whether to treat the mp3 as a dynamic audio file. In otherembodiments, all of the attributes in Table 2 are placed in a privatevendor area of the ID3v2 file header. In other embodiments, some of thefile attributes may be placed in the standard public areas of the ID3v2file header, if the meaning and use of the dynamic audio file attributematches the meaning and intended use of that same attribute in the ID3v2header.

In some embodiments, updater software may provide a user interface thatmay be launched when, for example, a user clicks on an updater software“tray” or on a start menu item. FIG. 5 depicts an embodiment of a userinterface for the updater software. The user interface 70 may, in thisexample, include four interface areas accessible under tabs as shown inFIG. 5: an Audio Token Files tab 60, a Player Integration tab 62, aSettings tab 64, and an About tab 66. (Some figures herein may refer todynamic audio files as “Audio Tokens” or “Audio Token Files.”)

If a user clicks on the Audio Token Files tab 60, an Existing AudioToken Files section 68 of that tab may be provided that lists variousdynamic audio files saved on the user's computer and registered with theupdater software. A linked title may identify a dynamic audio file byname, for example “KZOK Weather” 72. A user may click on the linkedtitle “KZOK Weather” 72 to launch a dynamic audio file detail window 80as shown in FIG. 6.

Turning to FIG. 6, the detail window 80 may provide the title 82 of thedynamic audio file (“KZOK Weather” in this example), the location path84 of the dynamic audio file on a user's computer, a drop down menu 86displaying directories or other remote or local locations to which auser may move the dynamic audio file by clicking on the move button 88,the publisher 90, e.g., radio station KZOK, of the dynamic audio file,the date and time 92 when the dynamic audio file was published, thecontent server source 94 of the dynamic audio file, and a UniformResource Locator (“URL”) (or Uniform Resource Identifier “URI”) 96 that,when selected, may link the user to the publisher's website. Inaddition, a Send to a Friend button 98 may be selected to transmit thedynamic audio file to a friend via email or some other form ofelectronic communication. For example, a “mailto:” command withconfiguration file values “SendtoFriendSubject” or “SendtoFriendText”may be used. If a Close button 100 is selected, the detail window 80 mayclose, while the user interface 70 in FIG. 5 may remain open.

Referring back to FIG. 5, section 68 may also display the amount of timeuntil the dynamic audio file expires, until the content becomes stale,or until the next update, as the case may be, in Expires In column 102.A checkbox 104 next to a title of a dynamic audio file may be selected,at which point a check mark may appear. A user may use the checkboxes104 to select a one or more dynamic audio files for updating, and thenclick on the Update button 106 to prompt the updater software toretrieve updated content for the selected dynamic audio files from theirrespective content sources. In some embodiments, clicking on the Updatebutton 106 may also update the user's media player with new identifyinginformation regarding the updated content, such as duration and songtitle, if applicable. Also, by selecting one or more dynamic audio filesusing a checkbox 104 corresponding to a selected dynamic audio file, auser may delete dynamic audio files by clicking on a Delete button 108.

Additionally, dynamic audio files on a user's computer that are notregistered with the updater software may be found using drop down menu112 to select a directory or location to search for new dynamic audiofiles. A user may also click on a Search button 114 to search adirectory or location selected via drop down menu 112. Clicking on theSearch button 114 may open up a new user interface for searchingcomputer memory or remote databases. If unregistered dynamic audio filesare found, the updater software may register those dynamic audio filesand add those files to the list of registered dynamic audio filesdisplayed in section 68.

FIG. 5 also provides an About Audio Tokens link 116 that may be selectedto open a window 118 (an example of which is illustrated in FIG. 7)having a text box 151 with a vertical scroll bar 120 and text providedby a content publisher that may provide information regarding dynamicaudio files. Also in FIG. 7, a link 150, when selected, may launch a.txt log file for viewing in the text box 151. Such a log file mayreveal the activities of the updater software. In one embodiment, awindow 118 (FIG. 7) may also be accessed by selecting the About tab 66of the user interface 70 of FIG. 5.

If a user selects the Player Integration tab 62 of the user interface 70illustrated in FIG. 5, the user interface 70 may display options for theuser to govern how the updater software should interact with their mediaplayer(s), as shown in FIG. 8. In some embodiments, a user may have theoption of having the updater software synchronize with specific mediaplayer(s), e.g., every time the updater software, or a media player, islaunched, by checking a box next to either “Keep Audio Token filessynchronized with iTunes” 124 or “Keep Audio Token files synchronizedwith Windows Media Player” 126. The updater software may provide onlythose options that correspond to media library management applicationsand media players detected on a user's computer. Those having skill inthe art will appreciate that media players other than iTunes and WindowsMedia Player may be detected and referenced by the updater software.Also, in other embodiments a user may select media player applicationsfor synchronization (not shown), rather than automatic detection by theupdater software. Such integration may allow the updater software toupdate the media players with file attributes that have changed. Forinstance, the length of the dynamic audio file may change when thedynamic audio file is updated, e.g., as longer or shorter updated audiocontent is provided, and that updated length may be displayed in themedia player's user interface. Those having skill in the art willappreciate that how a given media player reflects changes in the fileattributes may depend on the richness of that media player's ApplicationProgrammer Interface (API).

FIG. 9 illustrates one embodiment wherein the user interface 70 mayprovide a Settings tab 64 that allows the user to further govern thebehavior of the updater software. In some embodiments, the updatersoftware may be set to start up automatically when the user's computerstarts up. In this embodiment, the updater software defaults to anautostart mode, and a user may deselect checkbox 130 to disable thatsetting. In some embodiments, a dialog box may pop up asking the user toconfirm that the user wants to disable the setting. In some embodiments,the updater software may immediately notify the user of emergency alertsby updating dynamic audio file with emergency alert content. A user mayalso elect to have the updater software immediately notify the user ofemergency alerts, such as storm warnings, by selecting checkbox 132. Theupdater software may also periodically perform an automatic scan of thecomputer or a directory for new dynamic audio files. A user may enablethe updater software to a scan for new dynamic audio files by selectingbox 134. As noted above in connection with FIG. 5, of course, a user mayalso cause the updater software to scan for new dynamic audio files.

In some embodiments, the updater software may automatically, at variousintervals, search for new dynamic audio files on a user's computer. If anew dynamic audio file is discovered that is not registered in theupdater software, the new dynamic audio file may be added to an index ofdynamic audio files in the updater software, including addinginformation regarding when the new dynamic audio file expires (“expiretime”) and thus when the dynamic audio file may be updated. The expiretime may be adjusted to local time using the GMToffset attribute in anembodiment with attributes as described in Table 1. In order to preventevery single dynamic audio file from being updated at the same time, theexpire time placed into the updater software's index may not be theliteral expire time attribute (e.g., DateTimeExpires). Rather,{DateTimeExpires+Random(0-ExpiresResolution)seconds} may be used suchthat all dynamic audio files needing updates may be randomly distributedacross a specified time window or time resolution (e.g.ExpiresResolution), e.g., a fifteen (15) minute time span, for updatingrather than at the same time. Also, if the updater software has asetting that media players be updated with information regarding the newdynamic audio file, such information may be updated at that time.

Referring still to FIG. 9, the updater software may also send anonymoususage data comprising notification packets to a web service each time adynamic audio file is updated. Or, a notification packet may be sent tothe distributor of a dynamic audio file for tracking or marketingpurposes. Such data may also be used to customize perishable content oradvertising content. A user may stop the updater software from sendingsuch anonymous usage data by unselecting checkbox 136. A user may addmore information to notifications regarding usage data by entering auser name and profile in box 140 and selecting checkbox 138. Forexample, a radio broadcaster (e.g., Clear Channel) may maintain a webservice for logging dynamic audio file updating at a central location.In various embodiments, such a web reporting service, or a server basedinterface, may accept notifications about the attributes of an updatedfile, for example but not limited to the following attributes: OldUnique Identifier, New Unique Identifier (may be the same value as OldUnique Identifier), Publisher, Title, ReplacementDateTime, Email address(for example if “update my profile” 138 is selected in settings).

The installation for the updater software may be simple anduser-friendly, with defaults being automatically set for optimaloperation. The user may be given a notice stating that they can changethese settings after the updater software is installed. A link to theupdater installer may be placed into an ID3v2 predefined URL frame,e.g., official audio file webpage frame, since this is the URL mostlikely to be automatically or easily linked in a variety of browsers. Apreamble comprising audio content in each dynamic audio file may alsoaudibly refer to the location of the updater installer, so that if auser has downloaded the dynamic audio file and does not have the updaterinstaller already, the user may be informed that additionalfunctionality is available. FIG. 10 illustrates an embodiment of anupdater installer user interface, showing information that may beprovided to a user about the updater software, including basicinformation about updating the files and actions taken duringinstallation of the software.

A dynamic audio file having the format described above may be updatedaccording to the following exemplary process, e.g., when the computersystem time matches the expire time (e.g., DateTimeExpires). If theContentType is “EmergencyAlert” and there is no file present in theprimary source link (e.g., SourceURL), the alternative source link(e.g., BackupSourceURL), or the redirection source link (e.g.,AlertURL), the dynamic audio file may be deleted from the updatersoftware's registry, the file system, and if the user has specifiedmedia player integration, the playlists of the user's media players.

If the ContentType is anything other than “EmergencyAlert”, theredirection source link may still be checked for the presence of updated“EmergencyAlert” content. If updated “EmergencyAlert” content is presentat the redirection source link, the updated “EmergencyAlert” content maybe downloaded and given its own separate entry in the updater software'sregistry. If the user has specified that a notice be provided whenupdated “EmergencyAlert” content is downloaded from the redirectionsource link, a dialogue box may pop up notifying the user that “thefollowing emergency alert was issued on <DateTimePublished>: <Title>”.The <Title> area may be hot linked, and may launch the updated“EmergencyAlert” content in a default media player.

Regardless of whether or not updated “EmergencyAlert” content waspresent at the redirection source link, the updater software may nextcheck the primary source link and the alternative source link forupdated media content. If updated media content is found, then theupdated media content may be downloaded and the preamble, if any,removed. The updated media content may then overwrite the previous mediacontent in the dynamic audio file in the file system, provided there isnot a file lock preventing overwriting. If there is a file lock on thefile, for instance if the user is playing the dynamic audio file, theupdater software may wait for the file lock to be released and then thedynamic audio file may be updated in the updater software's registrywith the updated media content and a new expire time value. If the userhas specified player integration, media players may be updated with thenew duration of the audio content and any other attributes that arerelevant and available through the media player APIs. If the user hasspecified that anonymous usage data be sent out (as described below), anotification may be sent having usage data to a web service locationspecified in a configuration file. If updated media content is notfound, the updater software may keep trying based on a “New file notfound retry interval” that may be provided in the configuration file asnoted below.

Furthermore, in some embodiments, upon installing a dynamic audio fileon the user's computer, an XML configuration file may be placed in theinstallation directory with the following values: About Dynamic AudioFiles text, About Updater Software text, Privacy Policy URL, AnonymousReporting Web Service URL, User Profile Page URL, New file not foundretry interval (in minutes), SendtoFriendSubject, and SendtoFriendText.

A dynamic audio file may be created either manually or automatically byuse of assembly software. For example, a radio broadcaster may utilizeXML assembly software on its computer systems before distributing audiocontent, such that distributed audio content is incorporated intodynamic audio files. Table 3 discloses exemplary attributes that may becontained in an assembly XML file that may be used to create a dynamicaudio file. In some embodiments, an assembly XML file may contain all ofthe attributes listed in Table 3 for the header portion of the dynamicaudio file. An assembly XML file may also contain information aboutwhere to find the audio content and where to save and how to name theoutput file. In Table 3, an “n/a” in the “Destination” column indicatesthat the attribute may not be relevant to Table 3 in some embodiments.

In other embodiments, a command line executable may be used to create aproperly formatted dynamic audio file. A command line executable maytake a single input file path, for example, either the full path to aspecific assembly XML file or a directory path containing multipleassembly XML files. If the input file path is a directory path to adirectory containing multiple assembly XML files, the assembly softwaremay look at every XML file in that directory and attempt to parse eachXML file as if it were an assembly XML file. If the assembly softwaredoes not recognize the XML file as an assembly XML file, the assemblysoftware may output the failure and the reason therefor to an error log.The assembly software may then move on to the next XML file and proceedto either create a dynamic audio file or output a failure and reasontherefor to an error log. The assembly software may work through eachXML file in the foregoing manner until all XML files have been reviewedin the directory path.

In still other embodiments, the assembly software may provide a userinterface to assist a broadcaster in creation of a dynamic audio file.An exemplary user interface of the assembly software may have a “Createa New Dynamic Audio File” function with a form providing a windowscontrol appropriate to one or more of the exemplary attributes specifiedin Table 4. A user interface provided by the assembly software may alsohave a directory file browse function so that a user may visually selectthe input for the command line executable file. A “Create File” buttonmay be selected which would launch an executable file having theselected input. In some embodiments, the assembly software may comprisea configuration file which may provide default values for certainattributes that appear in the user interface. This configuration filemay also provide attribute values for attributes that may not be changedor selected through the user interface of the assembly software. Table 4provides data used for an embodiment of the assembly software to createa dynamic audio file. Table 4 provides both the user interface elementsof the assembly software and the items that may appear in someembodiments of an assembly XML file. Table 4 also contains informationabout how some of the data elements may behave in the operation of someembodiments of the assembly software.

FIG. 11 illustrates one embodiment of a user interface 166 provided inconnection with assembly software to assist a content publisher or otheruser in creating a dynamic audio file. A number of options may appearwithin the “ATFF Assembly File Creator” user interface 166. In thisembodiment, ATFF refers to Audio Token File Format, i.e., a dynamicaudio file.

The interface 166 may include a Create Assembly File tab 160 thatprovides a number of sections that a user may access to set dynamicaudio file variables and preferences. A General File Information section168 may provide a content file path menu 170 for a user to input asource file for the audio content that may be used in the dynamic audiofile being created, and a Browse button (not shown) that allows a userto browse their computer's local drives (or remote sources) for theaudio content. A file identification number may be entered in a field172 or a checkbox 174 may be selected to use the source file name as theidentification number. A user may enter a title for the file in field176 and may select the type of content by use of drop down menu 178. Theexpiration time, or length of time after which the content will bedeemed stale, may be set by using drop down menus 182 and 184. An OutputDirectory may be selected via menu 180 or selected using a Browse button(not shown). The output file name may be the Title entered into field176 by selecting the Use Title option button 186. Alternatively, thesource file name may be selected as the output file name by selectingbutton 188. In yet another alternative embodiment, a user may enter acustom output file name in field 190 by selecting button 192.

An Advanced Settings section 194 may allow a user to select a preamblefile location by using drop down menu 196 and selecting the location onthe user's computer from which the assembly software may retrieve thepreamble. A user may specify how many minutes the expiration time may bedelayed by selecting a precision value from drop down menu 198. Theprecision value may allow the updater software or content server toadvance or delay updating slightly to avoid content server overload.

A Set Information section may allow a user to identify a file as being amember of a set of files by selecting checkbox 200. The number ofdynamic audio files in the set may be selected through menu 202 and thelocation in the set may be altered by a Position menu 204. In someembodiments, the dynamic audio file's position in the set may beselected by using menu 204. A dynamic audio file may also be added tothe set by entering the dynamic audio files fields 206, 208 and 210.Alternatively, the primary source link may be entered into field 206 andthe alternative source links may be entered into fields 208 and 210. Inother embodiments, those fields may be used, or other fields may beprovided for fail-over and redirection source links. A source, such as aradio station, that distributes the dynamic audio file may be enteredinto a field 212 with the source's homepage being entered into anotherfield 214. In various embodiments, the source may be an Internet radiostation. A user may indicate that the dynamic audio file should beimmediately processed by selecting checkbox 216. A user may save thesettings as defaults for creation of other dynamic audio files byselecting checkbox 218. To create the dynamic audio file having thespecified attributes, a user may select the Create Assembly File button220.

In other embodiments, a user may click a Reset button (not shown) toclear the settings entered into interface 166. Under the ProcessAssembly File(s) tab 162, a user may select one or more dynamic audiofiles to process.

Dynamic audio files and the methods of use described herein may providea radio broadcaster an efficient and flexible method of distributingaudio content. Such dynamic audio files may serve as a “placeholder”audio file in a media library or playlist, where the content of thedynamic audio file may be updated or refreshed. Thus, “News” or “Sports”dynamic audio files, for example, allow a listener access to fresh newsor sports content without having to reconstruct a playlist. Variousembodiments described herein allow a user to specify how content shouldbe distributed to them. Some embodiments are user friendly, as a userneed not affirmatively request updates. Thus, such embodiments maypromote and increase user interest in the content source.

Of course other embodiments may include a system and method that may bepracticed by a non-broadcaster or other content provider. For example, aschool district may distribute news to parents, students and teachersthrough the use of dynamic audio files. Or, multi-level distributioncompanies may use dynamic audio files to distribute content to variousaudiences. For example, depending on a user's profile, an audio tokenmay be updated with different content for different users. Content maybe updated to different groups of people.

Although various exemplary embodiments have been shown and described,the invention is not limited to the embodiments shown and described.Therefore, the scope of the invention is intended to be limited solelyby the scope of the claims that follow.

TABLE 1 Name Preferred Datatype Detail FileVersionNumber Yes Variable Afile version number may be internal to the system. Character Thisattribute may be used by the updater software to differentiate betweendifferent dynamic audio file versions. UniqueIdentifier No Variable Theunique identifier of the file. This identifier may be Character globallyunique. It may be an index into a database. In some embodiments, it mayalso be the watermark identification. GMToffset Yes Whole Positive ornegative offset in hours from GMT for date values. This attribute may beused to calibrate the DateTimePublished and DateTimeExpires values tothe time zone of the updater installer. This attribute may be useful forfiles retrieved from different time zones. DateTimePublished YesDateTime A date when the current version of the file was created.DateTimeExpires Yes DateTime A date when the current version of the fileexpires and the audio content should be replaced with updated contentfrom the primary source link specified in the SourceURL.ExpiresResolution No Integer The maximum number of seconds by which itis permissible for the updater software to shift an update request. Thismay be used by the updater software which will generate a random numberwithin this range so that all of the requests for updates may be spreadout over a period of time to avoid instantaneous server load. SourceURLYes Variable This may be a fully formed URL file path comprising aCharacter primary source link. In some embodiments, it may be publiclyavailable on the internet. BackupSourceURL No Variable This may be afully formed URL file path comprising an Character alternative sourcelink. AlertURL No Variable This may be a fully formed URL file pathcomprising a Character redirection source link. ContentType No VariableMay describe the type of audio content, such as News, Character Weather,Traffic, Sports, Music, Talk, EmergencyAlert. Publisher Yes VariableThis may refer to a radio station or other source that is Characterdistributing, creating and updating the file. Title Yes Variable Thismay specify the title of the audio content or the type Character ofdynamic audio file. ContentStartTime No Int Number of seconds into theaudio portion of the file that the content starts. Audio content priorto the start time may be considered a preamble that may be ignored,skipped over or stripped out by the updater software. SetMember No BitThis indicates whether or not a part of a set. SetPosition No Int If aset member, the location of this dynamic audio file in the set.SetURLList No Variable A delimited list of URLs in order for the entireset, Character including the current file. The delimiting character maybe URL safe and may be a character or combination of characters neverfound in a URL.

TABLE 2 Dynamic Audio File Attribute ID3v2 Frame Detail File Type FileType = MP3/dynamic audio file. This is the ID3v2 frame that the updatersoftware may refer to in order to determine whether to treat the MP3 asa dynamic audio file. FileVersionNumber n/a This attribute may not havea semantic match within the ID3v2 standard and may not be placed in anyof the standard ID3v2 fields. UniqueIdentifier Unique MP3 Semanticmeaning as described in Table 1. Behavior may Identifier vary widelyacross different platforms that implement ID3v2 support. GMToffset n/aThis attribute may not have a semantic match within the ID3v2 standardand may not be placed in any of the standard ID3v2 fields.DateTimePublished Date of Semantic meaning as described in Table 1.Behavior may Recording, Time vary widely across different platforms thatimplement ID3v2 of Recording support. DateTimeExpires n/a This attributemay not have a semantic match within the ID3v2 standard and may not beplaced in any of the standard ID3v2 fields. SourceURL Primary SourceSemantic meaning as described in Table 1. Behavior may Link vary widelyacross different platforms that implement ID3v2 support. BackupSourceURLUser Defined Semantic meaning as described in Table 1. Behavior may URLLink Frame vary widely across different platforms that implement ID3v2support. AlertURL n/a This attribute may not have a semantic matchwithin the ID3v2 standard and may not be placed in any of the standardID3v2 fields. ContentType Content Type Semantic meaning as described inTable 1. Behavior may vary widely across different platforms thatimplement ID3v2 support. Publisher Publisher Semantic meaning asdescribed in Table 1. Behavior may vary widely across differentplatforms that implement ID3v2 support. Title Title Semantic meaning asdescribed in Table 1. Behavior may vary widely across differentplatforms that implement ID3v2 support. ContentStartTime ID3v2 ChapterSemantic meaning as described in Table 1. Behavior may Frame Addendumvary widely across different platforms that implement ID3v2 support.SetMember Part of a Set Semantic meaning as described in Table 1.Behavior may vary widely across different platforms that implement ID3v2support. SetPosition Track Number/ Semantic meaning as described inTable 1. Behavior may Position in Set vary widely across differentplatforms that implement ID3v2 support. SetURLList n/a This attributemay not have a semantic match within the ID3v2 standard and may not beplaced in any of the standard ID3v2 fields.

TABLE 3 Attribute Category Destination Detail FileVersionNumber DynamicAudio File ID3v2 Header This may be used as the value to place into theAttribute dynamic audio file header when it is created. UniqueIdentifierDynamic Audio File ID3v2 Header This may be used as the value to placeinto the Attribute dynamic audio file header when it is created.GMToffset Dynamic Audio File ID3v2 Header May he exposed in the userinterface and may Attribute read from system. DateTimePublished DynamicAudio File ID3v2 Header This may be used as the value to place into theAttribute dynamic audio file header when it is created. DateTimeExpiresDynamic Audio File ID3v2 Header Exposed in user interface as “add Xhours” or Attribute “add X days.” ExpiresResolution Dynamic Audio FileID3v2 Header Attribute SourceURL Dynamic Audio File ID3v2 Header Thismay be a directory value. The filename Attribute may be appended to thisbased on the logic discussed in “Output File.” BackupSourceURL DynamicAudio File ID3v2 Header This may be a directory value. The filenameAttribute may be appended to this based on the logic discussed in“Output File.” AlertURL Dynamic Audio File ID3v2 Header AttributeContentType Dynamic Audio File ID3v2 Header May be bound in the userinterface as the type Attribute of audio content such as News, Weather,Traffic, Sports, Music, Talk, or EmergencyAlert. Publisher Dynamic AudioFile ID3v2 Header Attribute Title Dynamic Audio File ID3v2 HeaderAttribute ContentStartTime Dynamic Audio File ID3v2 Header Not inassembly XML file or user interface. Attribute This may beprogrammatically determined based on the length of the preamble.SetMember Dynamic Audio File ID3v2 Header Attribute SetPosition DynamicAudio File ID3v2 Header Greyed out in the user interface unlessAttribute SetMember is checked. SetURLList Dynamic Audio File ID3v2Header Greyed out in the user interface unless Attribute SetMember ischecked. Internet Radio ID3v2 attribute ID3v2 Header Station NameInternet Radio ID3v2 attribute ID3v2 Header Station Owner CopyrightMessage ID3v2 attribute ID3v2 Header Official Internet ID3v2 attributeID3v2 Header Radio Station Home Page Official Audio File ID3v2 attributeID3v2 Header This field may include a link to the updater Webpageinstaller. Content Location File Path Audio content This may be theaudio content in “.wav” or “.mp3” format. PreRoll Location File PathAudio content This audio file comprising the preamble may be prependedto the audio content (.wav or .mp3). Output Directory File Path n/a Thismay be the local file path where the resultant file may be output.Output File File Path n/a If this is left null, the output file may havethe same name as the Content Location file name (.mp3 only).

TABLE 4 Exposed in Exposed in Configuration Attribute User InterfaceFile Detail FileVersionNumber Yes Defaults to 1. UniqueIdentifier YesGMToffset Reads from system. DateTimePublished Reads from system.DateTimeExpires.Datepart Yes Yes Hours or days. DateTimeExpires.CountYes Yes Up to 99. ExpiresResolution Yes Yes SourceURL Yes This may be adirectory value. The filename may be appended to this based on the logicdiscussed in “Output File.” BackupSourceURL Yes This may be a directoryvalue. The filename may be appended to this based on the logic discussedin “Output File.” AlertURL Yes ContentType Yes Yes Bound in the userinterface as the type of audio content such as News, Weather, Traffic,Sports, Music, Talk, or EmergencyAlert. Publisher Yes Title YesSetMember Yes Yes SetPosition Yes May be greyed out in the userinterface unless SetMember is checked. SetURLList Yes Yes May be greyedout in the user interface unless SetMember is checked. Internet RadioStation Yes Yes Name Internet Radio Station Yes Owner Copyright MessageYes Official Internet Radio Yes Yes Station Home Page Official AudioFile Yes This field may include a link to the Webpage updater installer.Content Location Yes This may be the audio content in “.wav” or “.mp3”file format. PreRoll Location Yes Yes This may be the audio content in“.wav” or “.mp3” file format Output Directory Yes Yes This may be thelocal file path where the resultant file may be output. Output File Yes

1. A method of creating a dynamic audio file, the method comprisingassociating a tag with an audio file having audio content, said tagcomprising a location file path of a source of the audio content.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the audio content comprises an audiblepreamble.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the format of the audio fileis MP3.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the tag is an ID3 tag.
 5. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the tag further comprises a URI file path ofa backup source of the audio content.
 6. The method of claim 1, whereinthe tag further comprising an attribute identifying a type of the audiocontent.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the tag further comprises anattribute defining a content expiration time of the audio content. 8.The method of claim 1, wherein the tag further comprises an attributedefining the playback start time of the audio content as the timeduration of the audible preamble measured from the beginning of theaudio content.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the tag furthercomprises an update time.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the tagfurther comprises an update frequency.
 11. A method of updating adynamic audio file, the method comprising: sending a dynamic audio file,the dynamic audio file comprising a tag and initial audio content,wherein the tag comprises a location file path of the audio content;receiving a request for updated audio content; sending the updated audiocontent in response to the request for storage in the location path inplace of the initial audio content.
 12. A method of providing a dynamicaudio file, the method comprising: sending a dynamic audio file to aclient computer over a network, the dynamic audio file comprising a tagand default audio content, wherein the tag comprises a URI file path ofthe source of the default audio content; and sending to the clientcomputer a computer-readable program for execution on the clientcomputer, the computer-readable program capable of causing the clientcomputer to: after receiving the dynamic audio file, register thelocation of the dynamic audio file with the computer-readable program;retrieve the URI file path of the source of the default audio contentfrom the tag; connect with the source of the default audio content overthe network using the URI file path; request updated audio content fromthe source; receive updated audio content from the source; store theupdated content after receipt thereof; and play the updated content uponplayback of the dynamic audio file.
 13. The method of claim 12, whereinthe client computer is one of a laptop computer, a mobile telephone, aPDA, a PC and an MP3 player.
 14. A method of enabling a client computerto update a dynamic audio file comprising a tag and default audiocontent, wherein the tag comprises a URI file path of the source of thedefault audio content, the method comprising sending to a clientcomputer a computer-readable program for execution on the clientcomputer, the computer-readable program capable of causing the clientcomputer to: after receiving a dynamic audio file, register the locationof the dynamic audio file with the computer-readable program; retrievethe URI file path of the source of the default audio content from thetag; connect with the source of the default audio content over thenetwork using the URI file path; request updated audio content from thesource; receive updated audio content from the source; store the updatedcontent after receipt thereof; and play the updated content uponplayback of the dynamic audio file.
 15. A method of enabling definitionof processes with respect to a dynamic audio file comprising a tag anddefault audio content, wherein the tag comprises a URI file path of thesource of the default audio content, the method comprising sending to auser computer a computer-readable program for execution on the usercomputer, the computer-readable program capable of causing the usercomputer to instantiate a graphical user interface, wherein thegraphical user interface is capable of allowing a user to defineprocesses comprising: updating a dynamic audio file; sending a dynamicaudio file to another user; synchronizing a dynamic audio file with amedia player; scanning for dynamic audio files; and sending datapertaining to the user's usage of a dynamic audio file.